Rocking Out in Delaware

Last Post

2005-11-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys. So I guess this is my last post of this semester. I hope that everyone has enjoyed reading about the bands that I listen to. Hopefully you will have gotten a chance to find out about a new band or artist that you can listen to and enjoy beyond this semester. For my last post I am going to give you guys some bands that I never got to cover but that I love to listen to. I will try and group them into categories that are fitting to the type of music that they embody. I have also put my favorite song for each artist. While browing enjoy the trippy music video from British band Gomez for their song "Silence".

Watch Video:

SILENCE (Gomez)

Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Drinking Coffee at Brew HA HA Bands
All of these bands are pretty mellow. Most of these bands would probably be lumped into the "indie rock" scene. Some are kinda quirky (The Decemberists), some are weird (Sigur Ros), some are straight-up amazing (Lovedrug) and some I can't help but listen to (Frou Frou).

The Decemberists - Billy Liar
Iron and Wine - Southern Anthem
Aqualung - Brighter than Sunshine
Belle and Sebastian - Step Into My Office Baby
Copeland - California
Frou Frou - Let Go
Guster - Diane
Lovedrug - Rocknroll
Nada Surf - The Way You Wear Your Head
Pedro the Lion - Indian Summer
The Shins - Kissing the Lipless
Sigur Ros - Flugufrelsarinn

Singing at the Top of your Lungs in the Car
These bands all write music that is insanely catchy and fun. The songs they write just make you want to roll down the windows in your car, crank up the stereo and sing as loud as possible. The most unique band is probably Black 47 who are an Irish rock band from New York City.

The All-American Rejects - Drive Away
The Afters - Beautiful Love
Black 47 - Green Seude Shoes
The Chemistry - From Within
Fall Out Boy - 7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)
Keane - This Is The Last Time
Something Corporate - Letters to Noelle
Watashi Wa - All of Me

While Rocking Out
All of these bands write music that at a certain sound level would definetly make you go deaf. These bands make sure you know that they like to rock out and they certainly aren't ashamed of it. I am partial to Disciple because I saw them live this summer at my internship in Nashville and they brought the freaking house down.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead - Worlds Apart
At The Drive In - One-Armer Scissor
Disciple - The Wait Is Over
Hey Mercedes - Everynight's Fireworks
Hidden in Plain View - Bleed For You
JamisonParker - Best Mistake
Jealousy Curve - Bruised
Letter Kills - Lights Out
The Starting Line - Three's A Charm
The Used - Take It Away
Vendetta Red - Sillohuete Serenade

Studying for the Big Exam
This category is for bands that write mellower music but it is loud and peppy enough to not let you fall asleep. All of these bands are so varied that they can not be put into a category. You go from piano rock (Joy Williams) to soulful singing (Chantal Kreviazuk) to the classics (Frank Sinatra). Definetly take a listen during finals time if you are struggling to stay awake late at night.

The Bridge Band - Because of You
Chantal Kreviazuk - In This Life
Daphne Loves Derby - Hammers and Hearts
Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
Gomez - Silence
Hot Hot Heat - Goodnight Goodnight
Joy Williams - Stay
Muse - Absolution
Ryan Adams - New York, New York

Third Batch of Bands

2005-11-15T19:14:00.000-05:00

Gym Class Heroes
Being on the signed by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy a person would assume that Gym Class Heroes are another pop-punk bands emerging because of the latest boom in that style of music. But on the contrary, Gym Class Heroes would more closely resemble the musical stylings of a band like The Roots. Gym Class Heroes are blend of rap and symplistic instruments with a dash of rock on the side. It is really hard for me to really explain what the Gym Class Heroes are like. Singer Travis McCoy focuses his songs on, The Papercut Chronicles, on ex-girlfriends, hate crimes and addiction to perscription pills. This definetly isn't your typical rap band focusing glorifying the life of drugs and violence that permeates in rap music. So for a fresh outlook on rap, with a socail conscious, check out Gym Class Heroes. Here is their video for their song "Papercuts"

Caedmon's Call
This is the first Christian band that I ever listened to. I have been listening to them for about 7 years. They are an ecclectic ensemble band that blends the version of typical Christian rock music with international influences (they travel alot to foreign countries for mission trips). Caedmon's Call is one of those bands that I will always listen to and support, even though there newer material is greatly outshadowed by their earlier albums. Original lead singer, Derek Webb, left Caedmon's Call 3 years. He has moved onto a solo careerm but hasn't reached the success that Caedmon's Call once had. Caedmon's Call is often grouped together with other very successful Christian groups such as Jars of Clay. I know must of you guys won't like Caedmon's Call but I figured if I was to be honest about music I like then these guys definetly deserve to make the list. Catch you guys later.

Second Batch of Bands

2005-11-11T18:38:00.000-05:00

Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright is the offspring of folk singer legends Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. With such musical parents Rufus instantly became attracted to music. Focusing on piano Rufus crafted his playing as he grew. Eventually moving from Upstate NY to Montreal Rufus soon started to gain a following. Eventually in 1998 Rufus was signed to a record contract with Dreamworks. His big break came by openning for Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002. Since he has shared the stage with such artists as Ben Folds, Sting and Guster. Rufus has released many amazing albums, my favorite is "Want One". My favorite song by Rufus is "I Don't Know What It Is." Definetly check out Rufus for a new take on what is means to be ridiculously awesome. Here is a video of a live performance of Rufus' song "14th Street"....Enjoy!!!!

Rhett Miller

Rhett Miller is the lead singer of the alt-country band The Old 97's. He released his first solo album, The Instigator, in 2002. I first heard of Rhett Miller when I was watching The Criag Kilborn Show on CBS. This was one of the few times when I heard a musician and had to buy their album, which I did the next day. His album strays away from the alt-country roots of the Old 97's. Rhett doesn't change the formula for music, he writes instantly singable poppy lyrics about love and its trappings. But while listening to Rhett it nevers seems generic or substandard, only awesome. I am a big fan of him and can't wait utnil he releases his next solo album in 2006. Definetly take a chance on buying a CD and pick up the Instigator. Until later......

First Batch of Bands

2005-11-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

So when I sat down to figure out who I was going to write about I struggled to find someone to talk to you about. Not because I don't have anymore amazing bands to talk about (lets be honest, I filled my ipod up way too quickly with music) but because I dont have much more time this semester with this blog. For this reason, the next couple of blogs will feature a few artists each blog. I am going to try and get a good mix of different types of artists for each posting. I hope you enjoy the first batch. While reading on enjoy this music video "A Day Late" by the band Anberlin

Anberlin
Anberlin is a band formed out of Southern Florida that gets lumped into the Christian emo scene. In all reality they are a band with incessant choruses, shredding guitar lines and sheer pop-perfection. Anberlin since their signing to Tooth & Nail Records in 2002 have shared the stage with such up and coming acts as Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Story of the Year. They continue to incessantly tour promoting their album "Never Take Friendship Personal" which was released at the beginning of 2005. Definetly don't miss taking the opportunity to check out Anberlin.

Mike Doughty
Mike Doughty is the influential lead singer of the critically aclaimed band Soul Coughing. Soul Coughing was an emerging, influential band that grew in popularity throughout the 90's. Since then Soul Coughing has split up leaving Doughty to go at it solo. So far Soughty has widely succeeded. Releasing his first solo album "Haughty Melodic" on Dave Matthew's record label, ATO Records, Doughty is destined for much greater success that Soul Coughing ever achieved. Listen closely and you'll be able to catch Doughty's hit single "Looking At The World From the Bottom of the Well" on the hit show "Grey's Anatomy" (which is my new favorite show). For more on Mike Doughty, check out an awesome interview in this week's Review.

Rilo Kiley

2005-11-01T20:11:00.000-05:00

Rilo Kiley is one of those bands that you listen to and them instantly have to listen to everything they have ever made. Atleast they are that way for me. I found out about Rilo Kiley through a friend two years ago, around the same time that magazines like Rolling Stone were listing Rilo Kiley as the next "It" band for the year. Luckily, for music's sake, Rilo Kiley hasn't blown up quickly and subsequently been spit out by the music community. Enjoy their music video for "Portion for Foxes."

Rilo Kiley was formed initially between singer Jenny Lewis and guitarist Blake Sennett. Jenny and Blake were both child actors who grew up in and around Hollywood. Blake was in Salute Your Shorts and Boy Meets World while Jenny co-stared in the Fred Savage pinball movie The Wizard and more recently Pleasantville. But dont be mistken, Rilo Kiley, along with bassist Pierre de Reeder and drummer Jason Boesel, are no crappy actor-wanna-be- rockstar band. They are the real thing.

Rilo Kiley was formed in 1998 and soon recorded their first album Take Offs and Landings. They continue to tour and gain alot of exposure in the indi scene. In 2002 the record their sophomore album, The Execution of All Things. Soon after the release of this album, Jenny Lewis recorded Give Up the first album from the band The Postal Service, which features the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie Ben Gibbard. Both Rilo Kiley and The Postal Service continues to tour through 2003. In 2004 Rilo Kiley recorded their latest album More Adventurous. This album strays from their more typical indie sound and really incorporates more rock and melody. More Adventurous garnered amazing reviews from such periodicals as The New York Times and Rolling Stone.

Rilo Kiley are continuing to tour and promote their album. They just recently completed an tour opening for Coldplay which agev them even more exposure to the music world. Jenny Lewis will be releasing a solo CD, which is scheduled to come out in January. Also in January Blake Sennett will be releasing an album with his side project, The Elected. Definetly check them out if you get a chance to. I hope you fall in love with them like I did. Until next time.

Underoath

2005-10-19T00:33:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys!! I hope everyone has been doing well since the last post. I wanted to tell you guys about a band that I have been listening to for about a year and a half. I found out about Underoath when I heard that they were opening up for Coheed and Cambria last year. So I decided to check them out before the show and I have been hooked ever since. Warning: Underoath scream alot, which I think works really well for them (especially in concert) but I know that alot of you guys probably won't like it. But thats cool, just keep your mind open.

Below is a video for their song "Reinventing Your Exit" from their latest album They're Only Chasing Safety.

Underoath is based out of Tampa, Florida where they got their start in 1998. Underoath was intially a straight out metal band but slowly as they matured and the band evolved they migrated and became more of a hardcore band. Underoath released their first wide release album was The Changing of the Times, which was released of Solid State Records (a hardcore side label of Tooth and Nail Records). Soon after the release of this album Underoath's leader singer/screamer left the band. But Underoath soon recovered by adding Spencer Chamberlain as their lead singer. Underoath then went into the studio to record their follow-up album They're Only Chasing Safety. In June 2004 Underoath released this album and ever since has slowly been gaining CD sales and legions of fans throughout the country. This past summer they held a headlining gig on the Warped Tour and were also on the Cover of Alternative Press magazine. Underoath are slated to record their next album this fall with a release in late Sping/Early Summer of 2006.

The thing I admire about Underoath is that these guys are all Christians. Underoath has never hidden the fact that they are all practicing Christians and that their music is fueled by their passion for God. It might seems strange to alot of people that a band that screams alot can connect their lyrics to God, but they are really striking a cord within the music scene that is looking for quality music with a non-destructive message. Underoath is able to walk the line of openly professing their Christian faith while still being respected on a mainstream level.

Here Underoath's guitarist Tim talks about his favorite song on the new album, "A Boy Brushed Red...Living in Black and White"
It talks about the importance of sex in our lives. We're all Christians. We're definitely a faith based band and lately we've seen the downfall of a lot of people and a lot of sexual immorality with a lot of our friend. It just seems like that issue tears apart friendships and relationships and marriages. I see it tear apart with churches with pastors sleeping with little kids. It's definitely a big issue and the song is kind of a fictional tale of a guy knowing that he shouldn't be doing something but making the choice to disrespect himself and his girlfriend and give into something that he knows he shouldn't give into. There's a catch to that song more than most I think.

The future looks pretty bright for Underoath. I can't wait to here there album when it comes out next year. Hope you guys enjoyed the post. I am going to see Death Cab for Cutie so I'll let you know next week how it goes. Peace out.

Mae

2005-10-13T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last Friday at the Trocadero my favortie band, Mae, played an amazing show to a 1,200 person sold-out crowd. Although it was my fourth time seeing Mae, they completely blew me away with the eloquent mix of rock and pure emotion. As you read on about Mae, enjoy their video from their song "Suspension."

Mae started out in 2001 in Norfolk, VA as a colaboration between drummer Jacob Marshall and singer Dave Elkins. This collaboration evolved as guitarist Zach Gehring, bassist Mark Padgett and keyboardist Rob Sweitzer joined the band. Mae's first album Destination: Beautiful was released in 2003. Mae continuously toured, with such acts as Something Corporate and Brand New, and promoted this albun which eventually reached over 70,000 in sales. Through their vigorous touring Mae continued to reach out to their fans and build relationships with new ones.

In May, Mae released their sophomore album on Tooth and Nail Records, called The Everglow. Singer Dave Elkins explains their latest album,

"The record is a story about love and striving and failure and reward," Elkins concludes. "But most importantly it is about being true to yourself, finding your passions, and making them your reason for living, and living fulfilled."

The Everglow is written to be a story. It could be the story of the band Mae as it journeys through their life or the journey of a young man striving to become a boy. No matter how you look at The Everglow no one can deny that it is an amazing album.

The concert on Friday had two opening acts, Circa Survive and Muth Math. Both of these opening acts were alright, but nothing that really made me want to go out and buy their albums. Then Mae finally got to the stage. In the next two hours Mae played through the majority of the songs on Destination: Beautiful and The Everglow. Mae's music is amazing to me because they can transition from a smooth piano ballad into a complete rock out song with perfect timing. The softness of the singer's voice soothes the soul of the listener as he pours his heart out about his stories of love and longing. Mae is a band that has really inspired me in my life, which is something that has really impacted me greatly.

To top off the night, I got to meet and talk to the lead singer, Dave, after the concert. Mae's website had announced a post-concert party in the bar at the Trocadero. But this party wasn't announced at the concert so as a result there were only about 25 people there. So I got to talk to Dave about how much their band means to me and about how much I appreciate what they do. The thing that was really awesome was that he really appreciate that but he took the time to ask me about myself and what I do. It was really awesome to see that someone I admire is really cool and actually cares about his fans.

So all in all the concert was awesome and sometime in the future I plan on seeing Mae again. I have posted below a picture of me and Dave and I also posted a picture from Mae's website from the Philly concert I was at.

Sufjan Stevens

2005-10-07T16:46:00.000-04:00

Last Wenesday I had the privelege to see an indie-rock god. This man is Sufjan Stevens and he absolutely blew me away. I saw Sufjan perform, at the TLA in Philly, with his travelling band known as the Illinoise Makers. See Sufjan is not your normal indie-rock visionary who creatively sings songs about love and lost love. Sufjan Stevens is two albums into a series of 50 albums, one concentrating on each state.

Sufjan started his journey in Michigan, the state he grew up in. With Greeting from Michigan: The Great Lakes State, Sufjan honed his craft of storytelling through imagery about Michigan. With nis newly released album, Illinois,
Sufjan perfects his mix of personal and historic storytelling. Sufjan tocuhes on such characters and places as Superman, Abraham Lincoln, The Great Chicago Fire and many more unforgettable tales.

At the beginning of the concert Sufjan and his band come out dressed as cheerleaders. As a recurring theme throughout the night the band and Sufjan will intro some of the songs through cheer. The cheerleading escalates to a point, where during a drum solo the rest of the band gets into a human period. While performing, Sufjan perfectly blends his gentle voice with poppy instrumentals which makes for such an amazing sound. At first I was skeptical about how Sufjan would be in performing because of all the complexities in the arrangements of his songs. But with an 8 person band backing him up, he is able to incorporate all of the random instruments played on the album (I couldn't even tell what most of them were).

All in all Sufjan was amazing. Check out this website, you can download 2 free songs off of the album as long as you are a member of Amazon. Definetly check it out. Also, I am going to see my favorite band tonight, Mae, so definetly expect a report next week. Have an awesome week guys. Peace Out.

Coheed and Cambria

2005-09-27T12:02:00.000-04:00

Last week I purchased the latest album, Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol 1, from modern prog-rock gods Coheed and Cambria. Coheed and Cambria fuse together the best of metal, rock and the weirdness that truely defines them. In Coheed's last three albums they have been telling the story of a post-apocalyptical world. Here is the summary of the story from MTV.com

"The story revolves around a married couple — Coheed and Cambria — who must sacrifice their brood, sparing the rest of the known universe from the threat of collapse. One of the children, Claudio, manages to escape, and not long after, Coheed transforms into an evil being called the Monstar — thanks to a serum injected into his bloodstream years ago. Ultimately, the ball's in Monstar's court when it comes to whether the universe will be crushed or salvaged."

As you can see Coheed and Cambria are not your usual band that get lumped into the emo rock scene, they are more likely to resemble Led Zeppelin than any current emo band. With strong influence from past progressive artists like Bad Brains and Fugazi, and with comparisons to current artists like The Mars Volta, Coheed drives full steam ahead to create a new genre of music fueled by guitar and sci-fi. Check Coheed and Cambria out at their website. I am put a video from their last album on my blog so you can see what they sound like. Enjoy!!!

In other news:
I am going to see Sufjan Stevens tommorrow night at the TLA. Expect a concert review next week.

One of my favorite bands Sigur Ros released their new album Takk... last week. I am really excited to hear this album. Check the out Sigur Ros

Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

2005-09-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

I bought the new Death Cab For Cutie album, Plans, a few weeks ago. I am going to do my best to give an accurate review of the stengths and weaknesses of the album. But first I'll give a brief intro to the band. Death Cab for Cutie have long been a staple in the Indie Rock scene. Death Cab hail from Washington state where they have been perfecting their craft of distinctive guitar rifts and melancholic lyrics by their lead singer Ben Gibbard. Gibbard is the heart and soul of the band, being the main song writer his stories of personal heartbreak and triumph is what fuels Death Cab's lyrics and also keeps listeners coming back for more. Since 2000, Death Cab have been releasing albums under the famous indie label, Barsuk, based out of Seattle. They gained alot of attention with the last release, Transatlanticism. This album perfectly mixed indie rock with absolute desperation in Gibbard's lyrics.

On their latest album Plans, which happens to be their first album under major label Atlantic, Death Cab tried to mix their distinct sound with a more polished sound, which hits and misses depending on the song. My favorite songs on Plans are "Soul Meets Body", "I Will Follow You Into The Dark", and "Crooked Teeth". The first half of this album really mixes what Death Ca does best, good guitar parts, hooky lyrics and a good mix of upbeat and mellow tempos. But the second half of their album relies too heavily on the influence of Gibbard's side project, The Postal Service, in that it doesn't focus on guitar as much as synthesizers.

Overall Plans is a pretty good album. Death Cab is still an amazing band. If you guys get a chance to listen to some of this album I would definetly suggest it, but also try to get your hands on Transatlanticism, but it is hands down their best album. Also if you like them they are playing Oct. at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia (which I will be attending). One of my friends saw them last year and said they were absolutely amazing. Until later, have an awesome week guys.

Emery

2005-09-14T15:57:00.000-04:00

Last night at the Theater of the Living Arts (TLA) on South St. I saw Emery in concert. Emery is a melodic post-hardcore band currently on Tooth and Nail Records. Emery is from South Carolina. They released their critically aclaimed album "The Weak's End" in January 2004 and just released their sophomore album "The Question". Simply put Emery is an amazing band that combines hard rock attitude, the edginess of screamo and heartfelt honest lyrics.

The concert last night started off on a bad note. The first opening band, Gatsby's American Dream, who are a prog-punk band couldn't make it because their van broke down. So this horrible band took their place. I don't even remember their name they were so bad. They were trying way to hard to be this trash nu-metal band. Their singer was impossible to understand because he was completely wasted. Also, after their set the drummer jumped into the crowd and beat the snot out of a kid in the first row who was heckling them. The next band was As Cities Burn. They just released their first album, "Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest", on Solid State Records which is a Christian hardcore subsidiary of Tooth and Nail Records. These guys rocked the house sufficiently. I was impressed with their ability to have a screamo band with positive redempting lyrics. But I am kinda biased to this band because I know their manager. The last opening band was He Is Legend. These guys really worked the audience with their use of rockingm pulsing anthems and riveting guitar solos.

Emery finally was up. They decorated the stage like it was a Mid-Western town. Throughout the show, while switching guitars and singers, Emery would fill the time with a pre-recorded story about the Wild West. To complete the ensemble the guys in the band came out dressed like Cowboys, banditos and outlaws. They opened the concert with the lead off track on their new album called "So Cold I Could See My Breath". From then on Emery rocked through their favorite songs such as "Studying Politics", "Returning The Smile You Have Had From the Start" and the "Ponytail Parades". The thing I love about Emery's show was that they really incorporated the crowd into their show. Constantly the singers would lean into the crowd pointing the microphone letting the fans sing parts of verses or choruses. I even got to get my splendid voice in a line of the closing song "Walls".

All in all this was a pretty sick concert. It was great to see these guys live. Plus they were really nice when they came out after the show to shake everybody's hand that had hung around. Here is a link to their website for the new album, The Question ,check it out and listen to some of their stuff. Catch you guys next week.

Music = Life

2005-09-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

This blog is going to be a place where I can talk about music. I love everything about music, except iTunes because I think that you should only buy full CDs. I am going to be writing reviews on CDs that I buy throughout the semester. I am also going to be talking about concerts that I will be seeing over the semester. I also want to talk about new bands I have found. Every once in awhile I wil probably write something random not related to music, but that will be kept to a minimum. I hope you guys enjoy everything I write. I will do my best to make it interesting and relevant.

I am really excited about a concert I am going to on Tuesday night. The concert is by a band called Emery. I have loved these guys for a long time and I am so pumped to see them headlining a tour. I saw them do a short set on a side stage at Warped Tour this summer. This show should be pretty awesome. Plus I know the manager from one of the opening bands (I met him at a church in Nashville where I interned for the summer) so I am gonna try and get backstage to meet the bands. So I will definetly let all of you know how the concert goes. Also expect a review of the new Death Cab for Cutie album soon. I would review it not but I need to listen to an album for a couple of weeks until I can give a fair opinion of it. Until then, Peace Out.